The school bell rang again signaling the end of classes for the day. John began to forget everything related to his dream since Nick's power wave. Aside from sealing powers that wave was also able to remove any memory associated with powers. John went out of the school gates with his three close friends – Jonah, Charm & Phuoc. John and his friends used to have nothing in common except that their parents worked at the same company.
Ever since their parents got to know each other in company outings and learned they all have kids of the same age, they get to meet each other on weekends. As they got into grade school, the four was practically inseparable even though they had different hobbies. Jonah liked sports especially basketball and baseball, Charm was a passionate reader since she was 4 and spent most of her times touring different libraries in town and Phuoc is into building stuff – from plaster models, science experiments and into science fiction. Their different hobbies which reflected how their parents raised them made the kids ace their grade school for they knew most of the topics before it was taught in class. This was also the reason why their parents felt it was fine for them to meet almost every afternoon until curfew once they were in high school.
When they got into sophomore year, they signed up in different clubs so they started to meet only twice on weekdays when no club activities were going on. And this afternoon was one of those days.
"So what are we going to do today?" spoke Charm who usually was the most sanguine among them.
"How about go to the batting range and hit a hundred baseballs!" Jonah answered.
"That's what all you've been doing the past weeks" Phuoc jokingly chimed in while fumbling with his smartphone.
"I could say the same to you" answered Jonah still wanting to convince his friends to head to the batting range.
"I know you've just got drafted into the baseball varsity team that's why you're so pumped up" reminded Charm. "But we're not like you, Phuoc and I had PE this afternoon and we're dead tired."
"How about just hanging out somewhere we could eat and just chill," Phuoc added. "Mr. Weber made me run 10 more laps than the others, my legs are killing me."
"That's because you're not growing any muscle at all" snapped Jonah while flexing his biceps. "You should eat meat and drink milk more often." He was obviously hinting to Phuoc that he hasn't gotten bigger since graduation from grade school. Phuoc however grew taller than Charm and John though still shorter than Jonah.
"I am eating more" Phuoc responded, "I even followed your diet plan. It just didn't work. I don't know what to do."
Like every teenager, these group of friends were quite sensitive on how their peers viewed them. Though Phuoc was viewed like a nerd due to his thin body in school, he actually had the stamina to go head to head with Jonah in sports but aside from his close friends nobody in school knew that. He preferred to be in the sidelines and minded his own business.
"Is something wrong John?" a concerned Charm asked. "We've walked three blocks already and you haven't spoken a word since class ended?"
"I'm fine" John responded. "It just feels I forgot something during recess which I'm trying to recall and yet I can't even remember what it's all about."
"Are you in love?" Jonah jokingly said while putting his palm on John's chest trying to feel his friend's supposedly increasing heartbeat. "Did you confess to someone and she rejected you? Who is it?"
"No it's not that. It's from last night, how could I even tell you something I forgot." John snarked.
"So it it's last night, maybe it's your dream?" Phuoc quipped. "I was pinging you in Messenger to play Guild Wars last night and you were already idle. It was just 8 PM."
"You went out with someone last night?" Charm hesitatingly asked. Jonah smirked, Phuoc suddenly was shocked and they gave each other a quick glance unconsciously saying John got to be on a date without telling them.
"No, it wasn't that. Everything last night seems to be a blur" John mumbled almost to himself.
"Oh come on, spill it!" Jonah grabbed John's shoulders shaking him as if it would make his friend talk.
"You shouldn't force him." Charm became defensive.
"Why shouldn't I?"
"Hey, if you can't remember anything. Maybe the best thing to do today would to head to Berty's." Phuoc suggested.
"Berty's?" John and Jonah almost said it in a duet.
"Yeah, wasn't there a rumor going around a few years back that everyone remembers lost memories at that place" Phuoc reminded them.
The rest of Phuoc's friends' brows creased. How could Phuoc remember a totally useless fact like that? Slowly the three remembered that they did indeed sneak into Berty's when they were 6 since they were excited what was inside that place.
Berty's is actually a diner made from a repurposed bus and it looked interesting from the outside. It's actually a small building with a modified bus stuck to it and the interiors seemed to look like American diner's back in the 50s with the red and white theme. It seemed to be part of the town for a long time since that was where young professionals frequent to have a quick bite before going to work and a bar during nights. Minors weren't allowed at that place or so the four believed since they got a whipped by their parents after they were caught sneaking at that diner years ago. They have never returned since then.
Now a decade later, their interest of that place sparked once more.
"Are you sure minors are allowed in there?" Charm nervously asked.
"I've passed Berty's hundreds of times these past years" Jonah quickly answered. "They don't have any sign about that."
"So what are we waiting for, let's check it out" Phuoc suggested bravely.
"I guess you're right, our parents wouldn't be looking for us" John replied. "It isn't like years ago when our parents discovered we disappeared from Jonah's house."
The friends reached an agreement to check out Berty's and as they arrived before the building, they realized the exterior seemed to stay the same – newly painted as if it were new only now the windows were tinted. They were even more surprised when they got inside. The place looked so different from before. What used to have white tiles have seemingly oak planks as floors. The theme of the interiors as they remembered were red and white was now replaced of a rustic theme where most were made of wood. Even the counter which used to be a white, with aluminum edges is now all made of wood. It looked more like a gentleman's bar than a diner now.
"Haven't seen you guys come here before" the counter lady who was also a teenager shouted cheeringly at them.
"Sasha?" The friends surprisingly answered.
"Yeah, who else would it be." Sasha annoyingly replied. "Don't tell me it's your first time here."
Sasha was in the same year as them. She's known to be timid in class and didn't join any clubs. She dresses like a goth most of the time, preferring shadow eyeliners and dark lipstick. Her hair which is usually frizzly in class with purple highlights were now tied in a bun making her look older than her age. Behind the counter, she wore a newly pressed white top and had a crisp brown apron over it as if she had been working at Berty's for ages.
"So what would you like to have?" Sasha quickly added while glancing at them and pressing buttons on the cashier's machine. She just finished punching an order of a middle-aged man who proceeded to sit at one of the stools by the counter ignoring John and his friends.
"Dinner?" Phuoc fumbled carelessly.
"How about the diner's special" Jonah replied while giving Phuoc a weird stare. "This one is my treat. Just got my month's allowance from being a starter player."
The group of friends didn't reject the offer and went to a table with brown cushioned seats.
This place used to have faux leather as covering for their seats, now it seemed it is real brown leather.
"Are you interested at her?" Jonah hinted to Phuoc.
"No, not really. I was just caught totally surprised" answered his Vietnamese friend.
"I guess we had trauma for getting grounded since the last time we got in here." John commented.
"Yeah, and to top it off this place seems to get an upgrade though they never bothered with the exterior" Charm added.
As the friends settled down and chatted more about many things, Sasha arrived holding a round tray with each hand and placed the trays of food before them. She then served the food quickly yet professionally to each of them without spilling anything.
For a supposedly simple diner, they sure had a wide range of menu. Jonah was served with t-bone steak with corn bits and mashed potato, accompanying his meal was a cup of black coffee. Charm was served spaghetti with meatballs, a bowl of fresh vegetable salad and dragonfruit juice. John got a quarter pounder with pickles on top, a small basket of fries and onion rings, with carbonated grape juice served in a tall glass and Phuoc – he was surprised – Sasha served him with fresh spring rolls, a bowl of hot Pho noodles and a bowl of Bun cheo ( a pork-and-shrimp crepe).
"You serve Vietnamese food?" Phuoc asked in surprise. Inwardly he was grumbling, since it was common to eat this at home.
"Let's swap if you want." John suggested.
"Me too!" Jonah shouted unable to hold back. He was usually a picky eater who doesn't eat vegetables but strangely he found Vietnamese food delicious even if the food had lots of greens.
"No need, you could share. This isn't a fancy dining restaurant." Sasha gently replied.
"Not fancy?" Charm carelessly said while glancing up the ceiling where there were chandeliers instead of the round fluorescent lamps they saw years ago. It also felt that the ceiling was further than what they could recall when they were kids.
"A lot has changed since Bert got married" Sasha cheerfully replied like she had been a professional waitress from a long time. "His wife used to run a restaurant and she's also the chef here along with her assistant."
"Bert got married?" Phuoc shockingly asked. He remembered the owner was already late in his 50's a decade ago when they were caught trespassing.
"Yup, she's half his age" Sasha replied as if she was reciting a trivia. "Though Bert still does the breakfast meals and bartending at night. Maybe you'll catch him if you stay till 6."
"We better leave at 6" Phuoc jokingly whispered.
"How much is all of these?" Jonah worriedly inquired. It seems his allowance would take a big hit if he pays for everything with this professionally plated food.
"Don't worry, the chef says it's on the house" Sasha warmly smiled before a ring of a bell made her leave to wait on another customer who is about to order down the end of the hall.
"You're sweaty, worried we'd burn a hole in your pocket?" Charm joked to Jonah. Before tasting a piece of a meatball "Maybe this place isn't as bad as we thought it was."
The taste of the food made them relaxed. The group of friends spent more than an hour talking about different things totally forgetting what John forgot the night before. The place was comfy to be at, the two waitresses were cordial and Berty who arrived before 6 seemed to get younger.
Berty had a sincere smile on his face which they haven't seen a decade ago while greeting his customers as he went behind the counter and wore another brown crisp apron. He continued to give small pleasantry with a couple of customers getting some feedback about the food and of the service and when he arrived at the table of John and his friends he greeted them genuinely by name as if they didn't trespass and break a few things a decade before.
"I thought I'd never see you step in here again." Berty continued. "It's a good thing you've all grown up well. I hope to see you again here soon" and was to add something else before he noticed a customer raise his arm seemingly beckoning him to the other end of the hall. "Do enjoy your meal and just tell Sasha if you would like to add anything else" and then he left.
The friends were glad that they finally got to have closure with the old Mr. Berty who seemed to have getting younger as he got married. They continued to talk more about other things until Phuoc's phone alarm sounded which signalled that curfew was a few minutes away.
Mr. Bert on the other hand went to the other end of the building and sat across the customer who raised his hand a while ago. That customer was accompanied by a history teacher on his side. It was the same man who released the wave this early afternoon
"So what brings you here Mr. Principal." Bert jokingly greeted the older customer while staring at the younger man beside him.
"I apologize if I've caused any inconvenience this afternoon." Mr. Burns humbly bowed with his head before continuing with his meal.
"No worries, I slept soundly this afternoon" Bert replied smiling. "Why, what's the matter? You're still as uptight as ever Nick."
"I think it's springtime again." the Principal said. "You know there isn't a fixed period for this phase. Unusually the cycle occurred in less than 20 years."
"Oh come on, you both are paragons for decades. What could faze you Principal Smith. We usually just have at most 10 potential recruits per cycle in this region." He sipped and enjoyed the aroma of a cup of untouched coffee which was supposed to be Nick's.
"We're not talking of ten new power users" Dr. Smith "I have verified with the other retired paragons. We have hundreds of new users in the region. Worse more than half of them aren't from this realm."
"How did that actually happen?" Bert responded. "The barrier we placed didn't seem to be damaged. I after all hold one of the world keys. No one went through the barrier in years."
"It could mean someone even more senior allowed it." The Principal reminded Bert.
"But everyone who's older than us haven't returned from the void for centuries" answered the café owner. "Even if any of them returned bypassing the barrier I could sense them even if they went through the core of the earth."
"So what are we supposed to prioritize doing now" the junior teacher asked.
"It seems you'll be busy eliminating the travelers" the Principal instructed. "While my old friend and I save as many potential seeds as possible. I hope Mr. World wouldn't decide killing them all off at the same time. We only have tonight."
"Mr. World?" Burns surprisingly asked. He has been the youngest paragon for ages but it was the first time he heard that name.
"Mr. World is the earth's consciousness" Bert began lecturing. "Others call it the world's will. Imagine a whole planet actually having a consciousness of its own which even surpasses most of us. It only interferes to protect the earth when a planetary crisis is about to happen."
"Power users usually get a backlash when carelessly mentioning its name unless they are paragons like us." The Principal continued.
"I'm a paragon for thirty years, how come I don't know that" Burns curiously asked.
"That's because you're quite unnatural even for power users." Bert answered while snacking on his customers' finger foods. "You didn't need to know. After all, he was the one that gave you your powers."